Combined fifth-wheel and axle drive.



N. N. WILLIAMS.

COMBINED FIFTH WHEEL AN-D AXLE DRIVE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I4, I9I4.

mem@ Feb. 8,1916.

-aars 'paritaria orme.

NEZZA N. `V'JILLIAIS, OF KANSAS CTY, MISSOURI.

COMBINED 'FIFTH-WHEEL ann AXLE DRIVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented lFeb. S, 19116.

Application filed November 1,4, 191A. Serial No. 872,102.

`To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, hlnzza` N. llViLLiaMs, a citizen of the United States, residing at KansasCity, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Fifth-Wheel and Axle Drives, of which the following is a specification.`

This invention relates to a combined fifth wheel and axle drive for automobiles, and my Aobject is to produce apparatus of this character suitable for use upon the rear as well as the front axle of an automobile to permit all four wheels of the saine to be driven and the axles t o be turned in reverse 'directions simultaneously whereby 'the car may turn upon a small radius and the wheels at each side follow the same paths or tracks. 1

Another object is to produce apparatusof the character outlined in whichthe driving member or shaft occupies a lower plane than the axle to the end that the center of gravity of the car may be lowered and consequently reduce the chancesA of the car overturning.

.A feature of advantage incident to a four-wheeled drive is of course the improbability of both the front and rear wheels standing onground soslippery that traction cannot be obtained by one set'or the other of the wheels. Another. advantage is that the application of power on all the wheels'renders the wheels less liable to slip and less liable to skid when the car is making a turn. ,lt also permits the use of double sets of brakes so that when the rear wheels skid the application vof the front brakes will enable the skidding to be checked.

71th the obJects named in view, the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organ' the cap or hood in place. Fig. 3, is a section on the line III-III of Fig. 1.

ln the said drawing, 1 is an axle provided wh a central ring or circular portion Q having ball races 3, in its upper and lower sides. Extending through the axle is a drive shaft 4 composed as usual of two end'- -wise abutting members, only one of which appears asthe construction may be substan# tially the same as the rear driving axle of any wellknownmotor car. Each member of the drive shaft is suitably journaled at its outer end in the outer portion ofthe axle and at its inner end is also journaled in the axle. Preferably each member of the drive shaft is provided with an enlargement b, journaled vin a tubular portion 6 projecting inwardlyl from the ring portion of the axle. Between the inner bearings of shafts 4C is a differential housing composed of two members 74 `forming a support for the .spider 8, rand journaled onthe spider are bevel pinions 9, meshing with a pair of bevel gears 10 respectively mounted on the sections of the drive shaft et. The differential mechanism described is not specifically claimed as it is of well-known type. Any other suitable differential may be used in lieu of the one described, -as composed of the housing members 7, the spider 8, the bevel pinion 9 and the shaft'gears 10.

To operate'the differential, I provide a large gear 11 meshing with an underlying gear 1 2 secured upon a vertical shaft 13. The shaft 13 is'provided with a ball bearing 14 and a thrust bearing 15,- both mounted in a horizontal partition 'or sup port 17 of a gearing housing composedy of a member' 16, a bottoni '17a and a cap or hood 18. To unitethe tubular member and the cap or hoodfinember of the housing together, saidA members are provided at dia. metrically opposite points with outwardly projecting flanges 19 and 20 bolted together as at Q1, and at right angles tothe said flanges the said members are conjointly formed with slots or elongated openings 2Ql soy of shaft 13 and the bottom 17n of the gear K housing, and rigid with said shaft is a large bevel gear 26 meshing with the bevel ear 27 secured on the drive shaft 28 exten ing into the gear housing through a tubular extension 29 of tubular member 16 thereof. Friction is reduced to the minimum by a ball bearing 30 and a thrust'bearinor 3l. The detail construction of the various Ioall bearings and thrust bearings is not described as the particular types of bearings are. not essential to this invention.

Assuming that shaft 28 is operated, it will be seen that it transmits power through gears 27, 26, shaft 13, gear 12 and gear 11 to the differential housing, and that the latter through its spider and the pinions 9 iinparts rotation to the shaft gears 10 and drives the same at equal speed as long as the car is traveling in a straight line, it being apparent that should the 'axle be turned to effect tu'rnin movement of the car, the differential piniois will turn around their own axes on' the spider and thereby accelerate the rotation of the gear Wheel 10 at the outer side of the turning car and effect a proportionate diminution in the speed of rotation of the corresponding gear wheel 1Q at the inner side of the car as occurs in all differentials.

From the above description it will be ap-K parent that I have produced a combined fifth wheel and axle `drive for automobiles einbodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be restricted to the exact details of construction shown in said inwardly-projecting portions of the ring, a differential gearing connection for the shaft sections, including a` pair of d ifferential housing members between said 1n wildly-projectingportions of the ring, and

means forrotating the differential housing. 2. A'combined fifth wheel and axle drive,

comprising a stationary vertical tubular housing, consisting of a vertical tubular member having a bea-ring, an upwardly-facing internal ball race, an internal downwardly-facing ball race, and horizontal slots in its lateral faces, in combination with an axle, comprising a horizontal ring fitting snugly in the housing and provided with oppositely-facingy ball races, inwardly-projecting tubular portions and tubular portions projecting outwardly through lthe said slots,

t two "series of balls in the ball races of the the'shaft sections, including a pair of dif\ ferential housing members tween said inwardly-projecting portions of the ring, a gear wheel on on' ofsad differential housipg members,a vertical shaft journaled in soI sa'id bearing, a gear wheel on the upper end of said shaft, meshin with the first-named gear wheel, a gear w eel on thelower end of said shaft, adrive shaft extending into and journaled on the stationary housing, and

a gear wheel on said shaft, meshing with the gear wheel on the lower end of the said vertical shaft. l 3. In a. vcombined fifth wheel and axle drive, a stationary vertical tubular'housing,"' consisting of a tubular member having a l l bottom, a central bearing above the bottom,

and an upwardly-facing internal ball racel above the bearing, and a cap Amember secured upon' the upper end o f the `first-named member and provided with an internal downwardly-facing ball race above the firstiiained ball4 race, the meeting edges of the said members having registering notches conjointly forming horizontal `slots in the lateral faces of the'housin-g.

In testimony whereof, I afliifi..A my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

, NEzzA N. WILLIAMS. -I/Vitnesses:

H. C. Romanas, G. Y. THORPE. 

